Improvement in pruning-knives



UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

S. O. VAUGHAN AND P. W. T. VAUGHAN, OF DE KALB, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT IN PRUNING-KNIVS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 5 M497, dated December 12, 1865 To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, S. O. VAUGHAN and P. W. T. VAUGHAN, of De Kalb, in the county of De Kalb and State ot' Illinois, have invented a new and Improved Pruning-Knife; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to make and use the saine, reference heilig had to the accompanying drawings, forming part ot' this` specification, in which- Figure 1 is a plain view of our invention. Fig. 2 is au edge or side view of the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts.

Our invention consists in a novel arrangelment of a cutting-blade on a suitable bedplate, which has its outer end ot' a hooked shape, to receive the twig and retain it during the cutting operation.

To enable others to understand our invention, we will proceed to describe it.

A represents the guiding or bed plate, and it has its outer end made in the form ofa hook. which is placed on the branch tot be severed or cut off. This part of the pruning-knife is made of a suitable length to constitute a lever, a, and has a handle secured on the end, which is to be grasped in the hand. On this guiding-plate we arrange the cutting-blade B, in

such manner that when it is forced forward it will operate with a drawing cut upon the twig or branch which is placed in the hook. In the present instance the cutter is like a chisel in shape and has its cutting-edge beveled in a similar manner.

Two slots, b b, are made through the blade at angles relatively with each other and with the length of the blade, as shown in Fig. 1, and in these slots are placed friction-rollers c c, which lie upon the bed-plateA and are held by screw-bolts d d, the screw-bolt heads serving to clasp or hold the cutter B down upon the bed-plate A.

Ihe cutting-blade or chisel B is connected to its lever a by a link, C, secured to the short arm ot' the said lever near the rivet c. This link enables the cutter to be forced forward much more easily than were it otherwise connected to the-lever. The two levers a a, bevond the rivet c, are ofthe ordinary kind used for niany 1m1poses--sucl1,tor instance, as the handles ot' scissors.

From the above description it will be seen that if the branch or twig is caught in the hook it may be evenly severed by merely pressing together the levers a, and in consequence of the cutting-blade having a drawing cut the operation of cutting is more easily performed. y

With pruning-books as ordinarily constructed itis necessary to draw hard to sever or cutoff the twig or branch, and this disturbs the vine or tree, and with shears such as are used for pruning` there is considerable difficulty in cutting. It' the twig be not held in one hand While the shears are operated by the other, it is likely to slip along as the blades are forced together, and therefore an uneven and ragged cut is made, and the operation is a slow one. With our pruning-knife the twig is held rlnly by the hook on the bed-plate, and the cutter can be operated with one hand.

We claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- The link U and friction-rollers c e, in coinbination with the cutting-blade B, bed-plate A, an d lever a a, substantially as herein shown and described.

S. O. VAUGHAN. P. W. T. VAUGHAN.

Witnesses:

PLINY S. FOX, R. H. ROBERTS. 

